Laundry timer



Aug. 19, 1924. 1,505,811

G. W. SETTLE ET AL LAUNDRY TIMER Filed Apm e. 192s 4 snets-sneez 1 INVENTORS Gearye We Z'ffe Ang. 19 1924.

Gfw. SETTLE ET AL A Filed April 6, 1923 LAUDRY TIMER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 y -Llllwli- IN'V'ENTRS MMM Aug. 19 ,"1924.

LAUNDRY TIMER Filed April e 1923 G. W. SETTLE ET AL 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 JBL Aug. 19 1924. 1,505,811

` G. W. SETTLE ET L Y 'LAUNDRY TIMER Filed April 6. 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 oveRnLLS 151MB 2113 ist '113 6 a s v 5 B H N 74 s E s 8 4 nn @R gr/6,?

AP .ma Sk 5? o a a' G INYEJUOS 05m?? RIJ-ey 5J 'A Patented Aug. 19, 1924;

UNITED STATESPATENT oFFl'cE.

GRDBGE W. SEQTLE, OF CAPE HAY, AND BISLEY, O WIII'JIIW'OIDg m JERSEY.

LAUNDRY '.IEIIIB.

' Appl-muon :nea prix s,

Y 19 specication.

Our invention relates to a new and. useulY improvement in laundry timers, and has for its primary object to provide an exceedingly sim le and effective device which may y be applic to laundry machinery, especially washing machines and when se applied will give the ,operator a perfect and accurate,

'check upon the operations of the machine,

thus enabling him to attend a number of 20 machines at the same time.

" Another object of the invention is to pro- -videfor the determining of the length of eaclko-Beration so as to obviate the neceity of upon the part ofthe o erator by maintaining in plain view a sche ule of the o rations to he performed and permitting t e setting of the timer so as to perform each of these'operations in the proper time at the completion of each o ration to vgive an audible or visible signa or both,

V which will call the operators attention to the fact that such operation is completed.

An other object of the invention is. to provide for the operation of the timer rom the main, or, counter shaft by which power is transmitted to the'washing machine so that said timer will be run in unisonwith saidV washing machine,`hut geared or timed to cause the timing hand to malle substantially .4&0 one complete revolution each hour.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide for actuatin the signal or signals through the action o the timing hand fromY the power transmitted to the timer'. A. further 'object of the invention is to rovide for the se ofthe adjustable and inde nde-nt Iof e timing hand and to cause e Yhand to interlock with the adjustable han when coinciding 5G with and thereafterto carry theladyustable hand therewith so esto continue the signals' .A the timenlias been reset.

A son farmer eine of the. invention is! to provide an adjustable card carriage sov center or the 'dief them@ Y 1928. Serial I0. 030 346.

`constructed that different indicating cards may be applied thereto for various operations connected with washing and so mount said carriage that it may be readily adjusted to indicate the relative time necessary for each operation.

. With these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and'then specifically designated by the claims.

rige v Y In order that thoseskilled iiithe art to 'which this invention appertainsymay unden stand how to make and use the same, we will describe its constructionin dtail, referring hy numerals to the accom anying drawincgls forming-a part oftln's app icationS in Fig-.L is a front elevation of a laundry timer emhodyinghour invention.

Fi 2 is a slig tly enlarged side elevation or e ge Vview thereof' with ortions broken?V thi to illustrate a detail of construction.

Fig. 3, is a fragmentary sectional plan Fig. '5, is a fragmentary rear viewro the timer. Y

Fig. 6, is a face view of one of the indicataw or timing cards.

carrying out our invention as here embodied, 2 reprents the laundry timer which may be sup orted in any suitable manner upon a laundry suitable object adjacent such machine. The Vtimer includes a plate 3 having a clock dial 4- delineated or supported thereon referably adjacent the upper portion thereo Thro h thislate in the region of the rejects a main shaft 5 trou h the wallsof the which also pases Ygea:- housing 6 and bot slidahly and revolubly mounted for purposes to be hereinafter described. Thegear housing 6 is suitably fastened u on lu *le main shaft 5 the gear housing 1s lined on otherwise mounted a worm gear 8 so that the shaft 5 may slide' independently ofthe gear but the two revolve n1 unissonY 'Washing machine or upon a and a `part of thev timing hand mutior postsr proectmg A' Y :from the rear aoe'o the plate 3.

against the rod 12 loosely mounted upon-the shaft so that the latter may revolve freely. On the side of the rod 12 opposite the washer 11 is another washer 13 or its e uivalent positioned .by means of a cotter pin 14 or its equivalent fastened in the shaft 5 so that the rod 12 will move with the shaft 5 when the latter is moved lengthwise.

The worm gear 3 meshes with a worm 15 fixed to the shaft 16 which is journalled in the side walls of the gear housing and on this shaft 16 is also :fixed a gear 17 meshing with a worm 18 fixed to the shaft 19 parallel to the main shaft 5 journalled in opposite walls of the gear housing.

Also fixed to the shaft 19 is a gear 2O meshing with a worm 2l on the driving shaft 22 which is parallel to the shaft 16. This shaft 22 is journalled in the side walls of thegear housing and both ends project outside of said housin so that on one projecting end may be Xed aV pulley 23 or its equivalent to receive power from one of the shafts operating the washing machines while on the other projecting end` of said shaft is a ratchet 0r star wheel 24 to actuate the audible signal which will be later described.

A stationary sleeve or bushing 25 surrounds a portion of the forward end of the main shaft 5 where it projects through the plate 3 andon said sleeve or bushing is adjustably and rotatably mounted the adjustable hand 26 the same being held in its different adjustments by means of a spring 27 coiled about the sleeve 25 and having its tension adjusted by means of a nut 28 having threaded engagement with the sleeve 25. This adjustable hand 26 carries a bracket 29 from which projects a lug or pin 30 for coaction with the hub 31 of the timing hand 32, the hub of said timing hand having a hole 33 for registration with the lug or pin under certain conditions.

v The timing hand is mounted upon the projecting end of the main shaft 5 by means of a set nut 3.4 and a thumb nut 35 both having threaded connection with the shaft 5 and the outer end of this timing hand has a finger 36 at one side which under certain conditions will engage with the adjustable hand and cause the two to travel together.

The outer end of the rodl 12 projects through a slot 37 in one of the walls of the gear housing and on this projecting end is mountedl an 'arm 38 a portion of which is guided by a guide 39 so that the end of said arm may engage the bell hammer 40 above its pivot point 41 laway from the bell 42 against the action of the spring 43 so as to dlsengage the cam lug 44, carried bythe bell hammer, from the ratchet or star wheel 24. It is to be understood that the bell hammer is pivoted to the gear housing and the bell is supported by a bracket 45 .at tached to said housing.

The arm 38 also carries a resilient electric contact 46 to which is connected a suitable conductor A, such as a wire, leading to one pole of the electric lamp or visible signal 47 while to the other pole of said lamp is connected a suitable conductor B leading to a suitable source of electrical energy "5. The resilient electrical contact 46 is adapted to cooperate with a stationary contact 43 mounted on a piece of insulating material 49 secured to the gear housing andv tc the contact member 48 is connected a conductor D also leadin@r from the source of electrical. energy C. The electric lamp or visible signal 47 is mounted in a socket 50 secured to a bracket 51 on the rear face of the plate 3.

In order to prevent operation of the device we provide a latch 52 pivoted as at 53 to the rear wall of the gear housing which is adapted to be moved across the rear end of the main shaft 5 when the latter has been drawn forward at which time the notch 54 in the latch 52 will register with the screw V55 or its equivalent thus preventin said shaft from being returned by the action of the spring 10 so that even though said shaft should revolve the finger 36 on the timin hand cannot engage the adjustable hand nor will the hole 33 in said timing hand register with the in 30 on the bracket 29 of the adjustable and.

On the front of the plate 3 preferably below the dial are arranged a pair of spaced parallel guides 56 and 57 and one of said guides, as 56, carries a pointer 58. In' these guides is mounted a card carriage 59 for slidable movement and said carriage is provided with a rack 60 with which meshes a gear -61 projecting through a slot in the guide 57 and fixed to an axle 62 carrying a hand wheel 63 for rotating it and said shaft is held against accidental movement by; means of a spring 64 the tension of whic may be varied by the nut 65 having threaded engagement with said shaft.

The carriage 59 is adapted to hold a number of cards on which are delineated indicating marks to indicate the various operations connected with the washing of 'different' classes of goods or articles. One of these cards 66 is shown in Fig. 6 and is divided into a number of columns 67 each column indicatingr what is necessary for one operation of the goods or articles to be washed as indicated at the top of the card and herein designated by the numeral 68 and these cards may also be numbered as indicated at 69 so that a familiar operator may withdraw the momen I card behind-the others and then place it in the foremost position before start- 1n operations. Y

aking the first column at' the left hand side of the card in Fig. 6 we find the numeral 25 at they top indicating that this o eration must take twenty-five minutes wh e below this number we find the indication ist Suds indicating that suds must be used and is to he made-up by adding soda and soap to the Water in the washer as indicated directly below the indication ist Suds. Le

A the indications so for described are in black the operator understands that cold wa i' is to he used hut since We nd a red star in this column it indicates that the steam must he slightly turned on or allowed to enter the Y washing machine. At the bottom of this column'we also iind the numeral 3 indicating that there should be three inches of Water in the washing machine before placing` the clothes therein. Y Y

In the next column we-find at the top the numeral 5 indicatin that the second o eration will consume ve minutes and as t 'sA operation is for rinsing it is so indicated in the column While at the bottom of the column is the numeral 6 i showing that six inches of water should be maintained in the washing machine and as all of the indication marks are in redit shows that hot water is to be used. By using a combination of red and black lettering it will indicate that luke Warm wateris to he used and the key i as to the meaning of these diierently colored designation marks may be delineated upon the ace of the dial as indicated by the numeral 70 and if found desirable the class of goods to which each card appertains may also he delineated upon the face o the dial as indicated by the numeral 7l.

The operation of the device is as iol- Considering the two hands to directly Y adjustable and 26 is moved clockwise until carried to a point representing iiteen mlnutes from the position of the time hand 32 and todo -this said time hand with the main shaft 5 must he moved forward longitudinally against the action of the spring 1G and then the adjustable hand moved to the desired position after which the :timing hand is released and the impatiente portion of its hub will rest upon the'pin 30, 'As soon as this is done the o rator 'may leave the machine and when e timing hand has revolved to a Eo'sition to align the hole 33 in said and with the pin 30 the action of the spring 10 will move the shaft 5 with the timing hand longitudinally in a reverse direction which action will move the rod 12 and carry the arm 38 with vit thus releasing the bell hammer and moving the spring con.-

tact 46 into enga ent with the contact 48 thereby completing a circuit through the visible si al or electric lam 47, thus indicating w .ich `timer is signal 'ng and at the same time the shaft 22 revolving will cause the hammer to he actuated against the action of the spring 48 and then alternately Vacted on by said sprin so as to sound the audible alarm to notify t e operator that one operation ci the machine has heen completed.

The operator next rotates the hand Wheel 63 until the card carriage 59 is moved toward the left a suiiicient distance to bring the second column of the visible card in line with the pointer 58 which will indicate the distance "the adjustable hand must be moved for the nent step which is accomplished in the same manner as hereinhefore described and as the hand with its sha-lt is` These operations are carried out intermit. tently until the washing is completed according to the indications on the particular card which is visible. i

When it is desired to stop the operations of 'the timing device the shaft 5 may he pulled forward a suiiicient distance to permit the latch 52 to'be swung across the rear end of said shaft so that any further revolving oi the mechanism may continue Without the hole'33 registering with the in 30 so that no signals he given or ir found desir ahle the thumb nut 35 ma be backed of suiiiciently to allow the timing hand to run ree and this latter operation may be utilized to adjust the timing hand at any desirable position relative to the dial.

From the foregoing description of the structure and operation of the timing den vice it will he seen that a person with little or no skill in attending washing machines is enabled to carry out the operations asV ao- -curately and uniformally as those having long experience in this class of Worin1 Further such a device leaves nothing to ess work and eliminates the necessity of ma g notes as to the time or particular o ration being carried out which notes are o n mistaken and an operation may he carried on too long or too short a time or even an entire operation left out. If an operation is carried ontoo long or too short a time or an operation let out, the work is either poorly done or time is Wasted which cannot occ with the use of our invention. Y

Another Vaulvantage in the use of this device is that one attendant may leave the wash room without any chance of the substitute :makingV a mistake as to the length of time any operation is to continue or as to what the 'next operation shall be, for when an alarm is sounded it is only necessary to move 'the card carriage one step and proceed with operationl indicated.

Other advantages will also' be ap arent to those skilled' in this artone of wlliich is the saving of considerable time during a very busy period.

Of course we do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as hereinl shown as these may be varied within the limits of.- the appended claims without departing from the s irit of our invention.

Having thus ful y described our invention, what we claim as new and useful is l. A. timer for washing machines and the like comprising a plate having a clock dial delineated thereoma revoluble and slidable shaft passing through said plate in the region of the dial, means for transmitting motion to said shaft so as to make one complete revolution per hour, a timing hand adjustably and removably mounted on said shaft, and. adjustable hand concentric with Y the timing hand, means carried by the adjustable hand to hold the timing hand and .its shaft in an outward position, said timing hand having an opening for registration with said means when the two hands are in alignment, means tol move the timing hand and its shaft inward and a: signal adapted l to be placed in operative condition upon inward movement its shaft. l Y Y 2 A timer for washing machines and the like comprising a -plate having a clock dial of' the timing hand Yand delineated thereon, a revoluble and slidable i shaft passing through said plate in the region of the dial, means for transmitting notice to said shaft so as to make one complete revolution per hour, a timing hand adjustably and removably mounted on said shaft, an adjustable hand concentric with the timing hand, means carried b the adjustable hand to hold the timing and and its shaft in an outward position, said timing hand. having an o enln for re istration with said means when t e two ands are in alignment, means to move the timin hand and its shaft inward, a visible signa adapted to be placed in o erative condition upon inward movement o the timing hand shaft, and means connected with the motionand its shaft, an audible signal also adapted to be placed in operative condition upon inward movement of said timing hand and transmitting means to operate said audible signal.

3. In a -timin device for washing machines, the combination of a visible signal,

an audible si al, a dial' plate having a clock dial delineated thereon, a revoluble and slidable shaft assin through the plate in the region of t e Ydia. means connected tov said shaft for putting the signals in and out of operative conditlon due tothe slidin movement of said shaft, means for revo ving said shaft, means associated with the last named means to actuate the audible signal when inoperative condition, a tlming hand for movement with the shaft and having a' perforation therein, an adjustable hand adapted to be set a vpredetermined distance in advance of the timing hand for determining the time of actuatlon of the v signals, abraclret carried by the adjustable hand for engagement with the timing hand to hold it and the shaft in its forward position until said timing hand has revolved to a position to cause the opening in the timing hand to register with the bracket cides with the adjustable hand. 4. In a device of the character stated, timing hand, a shaft on which-said hand is mounted, a mechanism for revolving said shaft, said mechanism being-so connected with the shaft as to permitthe latter to be .moved longitudinally, the movement in one direction being accomplished manually,'.a

Aslp'ring for normally forcing said shaft in t e opposite direction, an adjustable hand associated with the timing'hand to hold said timing hand and its shaft \in an outward 4and-means to move the timing hand and` shaft. inward when said timing hand coinposition when the adjustable hand is out 'o fv alignment with the timing hand for the.

purpose of predetermining a; point at which vment thereof and a latch adapted to be disposed across one end of said shaft when in such position that the si al controllin means carried thereby has p aced said signa means out of operative condition.

6. In a laundry timer, the combination of a plate having a dial represented thereon, a housing supported bysaid plate, a sleeve projecting forwardly from t e plate at the .center of the dial, a. shaft 'slidably and revolubly mounted in said. sleeve and passing through the plate and two opposite walls of the housing, a gear mounted on l said shaft to revolve therewith while rmittin the shaft to slide through it, a. ro mounte on said shaft so as to move longitudinally thereon while permitting the shaft to revolve independent thereof, a, spring inter posed between said gear and rodto normall force said rod and the shaft rearwar ly while holding the gear in a flexible position, a shaft crosswise of said first named shaft, a worm thereon meshing with Vthe gear of the first named shaft, a gear on said second named shaft, another shaft parallel with the first named shaft, a worm` 'is'transmitted from a source of power through the aforementioned mechanism to the first named shaft for revolving the latter substantially at one revolution per hour, a ratchet wheel fixed to the fourth shaft, an audible signal including a pivoted hammer having'means cooperating with the ratchet wheel whereby the revolving of the latter i will move said hammer in one direction,

means for normally movin said hammer in the opposite direction, a visible signal including an electric lamp,` a stationary contact and a movable contact, an arm carried by the rod to which the movable contact is fastened so 'that as the first named shaft moves in one direction due to the action of the spring associated therewith the movable contact will engage the stationary contact,

said arm also cooperating with the hammer, of the audible signal so that when the first named shaft is moved forward against the action of the spring said hammer will be moved away from the ratchet wheel, an adjustable hand revolubly mounted upon the sleeve, tensioning means to hold said adjustable hand in different positions, a bracket carried by said hand, a timing hand adjustably and removably mounted upon the first named shaft in such a position that said timing hand and its shaft must be moved outward to rest upon a bracket carried by the adjustablehand, said timing hand having an opening so positioned that when the two hands coincide said opening wili regis.- ter. with the bracket and permit the rst named shaft and the timing hand to be.'-`

moved inward, a finger carried by the timing hand to engage the adjustable hand so that the two will revoive in"unison, and

means to hold the first named shaft against inward movement.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto' affixed our signatures. GEORGE W. SETTLE.

OSCAR RISLEY. 

